LAWS OF MARYLAND.— 1805.

501

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That the said oaths, or affirma-
tions, shall be administered before any judge who shall be in
the same commission, or before any qualified judge or justice
of the peace, which qualification shall be certified by the judge
or justice before whom the same is made, and shall be recorded
in any court of which the judge so qualified is or shall be a
member.

By whom
to be admi-
nistered.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted. That the form of commissions
that shall issue to the judges of the courts of common law
shall be as follows, to wit : 'The state of Maryland to A. B. of
—— county, greeting: Be it known, that reposing great trust
and confidence in your integrity and sound legal knowledge,
you are appointed and assigned chief judge, or associate judge,
as the case may be, of —— judicial district, (and in the case of
chief judge, insert, in virtue thereof judge of the court of
appeals,) to do equal right and justice according to law, in every
case in which you shall act as judge, freely without sale, fully
without any denial, and speedily without delay; and you are
to execute the said office of judge, justly, honestly, diligently
and faithfully, according to law; and you are to hold and exe-
cute the said office for and doing your good behaviour, and
removable only in the manner prescribed by the constitution
and form of government. Given under the seal of the state of
Maryland, this —— day of — — , in the year eighteen hundred

5

Judges'
commission

SEC. 5. And be it enacted, That the county courts in each
judicial district shall be composed of all the judges appointed
for such district, any one or more of whom shall have full power
to hold the court, and to exercise all and singular the powers,
jurisdictions and authorities, that might or could be exercised
by all the judges when present.

County
courts to
be com-
posed of all
the district
judges.

SEC. 6. And be it enacted, That the governor and council
shall vary the commission, so as to designate the chief judge of
the court of appeals, which person, so designated, shall when
attending, preside in said court, and in case of his absence, or
on his withdrawing from the bench in the cases specified by
the constitution, the judge next in seniority, to be determined
from the date of the commission, who shall be present, shall
preside therein ; and in case of the death, disqualification, or
refusal to act, of the person appointed chief judge as aforesaid,
the person next in seniority as aforesaid shall be the chief judge
of the said court until a new appointment of a chief judge shall
be made as aforesaid.
SEC. 7. The times of holding the courts are modified by subsequent laws.
See 1828, ch. 182.
SEC. 8. And be it enacted. That all causes, legal or equitable,
civil or criminal, that are or were depending in the former court

Chief judge
of the court
of appeals
to be desig-
nated in the
commission